Smoking while driving - should it be banned?

Question

When drivers are smoking a cigarette, how can they give full attention to driving safely?

If smoking while driving is banned, will that help solve the problem of careless smokers throwing their waste butts out of the window, which litters our highways and starts fires?

And isn't it desirable to do everything possible to make smoking cigarettes less and less attractive, so smokers will have more incentive to get free from the dirty habit and end the waste of America's resources they cause by their illnesses and their litter?

Answer 1

No. Our cars our rules. Plain and simple.

You are not in the car with us, so why should you care?

Answer 2

Smoking while driving is no more distracting than eating, drinking (not necessarily alcohol), applying makeup, reading, texting, disciplining kids in the back seat, adjusting the radio, blowing one's nose, fiddling with an iPod, etc. In other words, there are hundreds of things that people do while driving which are distractions. But do we really need the government to be our nanny?

As far as banning smoking while driving having any impact on litter, the answer is quite obviously no. Passengers would still smoke (or do you propose that be banned as well? and if so, for what possible reason?), so the issue of disposing of cigarette butts won't be resolved.

Perhaps one of the reasons smokers dispose of their butts along highways is because, for some inexplicable reason, the automakers have stopped installing ashtrays in cars. Yet I've known dozens of non-smokers who used their car ashtrays as either a change dish (perfect for tolls and the drive-thru), for holding things like gum or candy (wrapped, of course), and even as trash recepticles.

So what's REALLY causing the biggest problem?

Answer 3

You sound like you're one of those militant ex-smokers, with the "If I can't smoke, nobody else should either" attitude.

I can certainly think of a lot of things drivers do that are far more distracting than taking a drag on a cigarette. Let's start with reading, text messaging, and eating. But by the tone of your post, distracted driving isn't the issue. You're more concerned about people smoking in general.

And as for smokers flipping butts out the window, I think the people who decided to play big brother and eliminate ash trays in cars should be the ones to talk to about that.

Answer 4

fra59e,
Anything that distracts you from driving should be banned.
You mention smoking
but also talking on a cell phone
changing a radio station
yelling for the kids to keep quiet
You need to keep both hands on the wheel
eyes on the road
pay attention even 1/2 a second not paying attention can cause an accident.
These kinds of accidents are known as driving without due care and attention.

Answer 5

sure we can do that just as soon as women are no longer aloud to drive... i have yet to see one that was not trying to apply/fix makeup... really need to ban them if they have a car full of kids and are always turning around....

but why stop there ban women who work from getting pregnant... that way companies wont have to worry about finding coverage for the time they will be out because they decided they wanted to pop out a kid and increase our population and cause even more over crowding in our schools

we should probably get around to banning old people from driving too... just look at all the accidents they cause because they can now longer see over the steering wheel... god forbid though that they forget which is the gas and which is the brake.... not like that has never happened before

oh and we should give the cops the authority to take the car of anyone who drives with a loose animal in the car.... and arrest the ones that let the animal sit between them and the wheel so the animal can stick its head out the window...

oh cant forget eating and drinking in cars either... and that has to go for everyone in the car not just the driver... not more snacks or juice boxes for the kids... hey we can help fight child obesity with this one also.....

we should probably ban scratching anywhere on ones body while driving.... and also fully enclose all drivers in a soundproof enclosure with the only sounds they can hear are from outside the car... so they can hear emergency vehicles and not be distracted by anyone else in the car... so i guess we should ban radios/stereos in cars also... cant have people bopping their head to the music... i guess this means we should ban all girls from driving... driving down the round i have never seen one NOT doing this... and they usually have the music so loud they cant even hear the horn of the semi about to slam into them....

hmmm... i wonder how long before we can get all these things to pass....

Answer 6

Another communist speaks his/her mind.
Why don't we ban radios from cars? They're distracting -- oh, I know -- because a radio doesn't SMOKE. What is it with you crazy anti-smoking geeks, anyway? Can't you all just find SOMETHING else to worry about?? How about prevention of necular unborn baby whales or something?
Jeeeze........

Answer 7

While you're at it, don't forget all the good things you get by taxing all of us ADDICTS. You want us to go away, but you want us to pay the bills too. You can't have your cake AND eat it at the same time.

Did you know that we also pay higher premiums? We pay more to get more, but actually get less.

Answer 8

I don't know, but I wish I could call in the license plate number of every jerk who throws a butt onto the street, and they would automatically get a fine. No questions asked.

Answer 9

Smokers have no rights anymore....i am a non-smoker and even i say leave them alone

Answer 10

YES it would reduce alot of accidents. Smoking and cell phones are a problem that need to be fixed

Answer 11

Of course, your conceration is criticla not your bad habit.